What Happened Today In Music

November 23rd

1956 - Elvis Presley

Sheet metal worker Louis Balint was arrested after punching Elvis Presley at a Hotel in Toledo. Balint claimed that his wife's love for Elvis had caused his marriage to break up. He was fined $19.60 but ended up being jailed because he was unable to pay the fine.

1962 - The Beatles

The Beatles travelled to St. James' Church Hall, London, for a ten-minute audition with BBC Television. The audition came about when Beatles fan, David Smith of Preston, Lancashire wrote to the BBC asking for The Beatles to be featured on BBC television. Assuming that Smith was The Beatles' manager, the BBC wrote back to him, offering The Beatles an audition. Smith brought his letter to NEMS Enterprises, and Clive Epstein (Brian's brother) arranged for audition to take place. Four days later, Brian Epstein received a polite "thumbs-down" letter from the BBC.

1965 - Marc Bolan

Marc Bolan appeared live on the UK TV show Five O'Clock Funfair, performing 'The Wizard'.

1967 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience & Pink Floyd

A 16 date UK package tour played its 7th night at the Sophia Gardens Pavilion, Cardiff. Featuring The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Move, The Nice, The Outer Limits, The Eire Apparent and Amen Corner, the entourage performed twice nightly. In 1974, Pink Floyd returned to the venue, which has since been demolished, to be replaced by the 'Really Welsh Pavilion'.

1974 - Billy Swan

One Hit Wonder Billy Swan started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'I Can Help'. The song was a hit throughout most of Europe and also reached No.1 in Australia. It was so successful in Norway that it charted for 37 weeks on the Norwegian charts making it the 4th best-performing single of all time in that country.

1974 - The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones scored their fifth US No.1 album with 'It's Only Rock 'N Roll'. The album which was the last Stones album for guitarist Mick Taylor peaked at No.2 in the UK.

1975 - Queen

Queen started a nine-week run at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Bohemian Rhapsody. The promotional video that accompanied the song is generally acknowledged as being the first pop video and only cost £5,000 to produce. When the band wanted to release the single various record executives suggested to them that, at 5 minutes and 55 seconds, it was too long and would never be a hit.

1976 - Jerry Lee Lewis

Ten hours after his last arrest, Jerry Lee Lewis was nicked again after brandishing a Derringer pistol outside Elvis Presley's Graceland's home in Memphis, demanding to see the 'King'. When police arrived they found Lewis sat in his car with the loaded Derringer pistol resting on his knee.

1979 - Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd released 'Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)' which rapidly topped the charts in the UK, followed by the US and a further 9 countries. Featuring children from Islington Green School in North London, close to Floyd's Britannia Row Studios, it was the group’s first UK single since Point Me At The Sky in 1968, and their first chart hit since See Emily Play in 1967.

1979 - Keith Richards

Keith Richard's girlfriend Anita Pallenburg was cleared by a court of shooting a man found dead at her home. A 17-year-old, Scott Cantrell, had shot himself in the head with a gun owned by Keith Richards, while in Pallenberg's bed, at the South Salem, New York house shared by Richards and Pallenberg. Cantrell had been employed as a part-time groundskeeper at the estate and was involved in a sexual relationship with Pallenberg.

1985 - Joe Turner

American blues artist Big Joe Turner died of a heart attack aged 75. Wrote 'Shake Rattle and Roll', (a hit for Bill Haley and His Comets) and 'Sweet Sixteen.'

1991 - Genesis

Genesis scored their 5th UK No.1 album with 'We Can't Dance', featuring the singles 'Jesus He Knows Me' and 'I Can't Dance'.

1991 - Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson had his fourth UK No.1 single with 'Black or White' which featured Slash on guitar. Also a No.1 hit in the US.

1992 - Roy Acuff

American country music singer Roy Acuff died aged 89. Known as the "King of Country Music," he was the first living artist elected to the Country Music Hall Of Fame. Acuff started his career in 1932 working for Dr. Hauer's medicine show, hired as one of its entertainers to draw a crowd to whom Hauer could sell medicines.

1994 - Tommy Boyce

Tommy Boyce, singer, songwriter, committed suicide. (1968 US No. 8 single with Bobby Hart, 'I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite', also wrote 'Last Train To Clarksville', 'I'm Not Your Stepping Stone' and 'Scooby- Doo Where Are You.' Sold over 40m records.

1995 - Junior Walker

American soul singer and saxophonist Junior Walker died of cancer aged 64. Had the 1966 US & UK Top 20 single 'How Sweet It Is', and the 1969 US No.4 single 'What Does It Take, To Win Your Love'. Walker also played sax on Foreigner's 1981 hit ‘Urgent.’

2001 - O.C. Smith

Singer O.C. Smith died aged 65. Famous for his 1968 US No.1 single 'Little Green Apples' and 1968 UK No.2 single 'The Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp'. Smith became pastor and founder of The City Of Angels Church in Los Angeles, California.

2002 - Otis Reddings

Otis Reddings' widow and his former manager filed a lawsuit against the author of a biography written in 2001 about the R&B legend, claiming the book was filled with lies. The lawsuit, filed in Atlanta's Fulton County, sought $15 million in damages and claimed that the book detailed rumors about the singer's drug use, extramarital affairs and divorce, causing "harm to the plaintiffs." It also cites rumors that Otis' manager plotted with the Mafia to kill Otis by causing the plane to crash in order to claim $1 million in life insurance.

2005 - 50 Cent

Dan McTeague a Toronto MP tried to have 50 Cent barred from entering Canada to perform a series of concerts later this year. McTeague had sent a letter to Immigration Minister Joe Volpe claiming that the controversial rapper shouldn't be permitted to cross the border because he promotes gun violence.

2008 - Guns N' Roses

15 years after their last album, Guns N' Roses released Chinese Democracy in the US, exclusively via the electronics retailer Best Buy. Nine years previously, Geffen Records had reportedly paid Axl Rose $1 million to finish the album, with a further $1 million if he handed it in to them by March 1, 1999.

2008 - Leona Lewis

Leona Lewis was at No.1 on the UK album chart with her debut album 'Spirit'. The album held the record for the biggest digital album sales in a week ever for a new artist and was the 6th biggest selling of 2008 in the world. It has gone on to sell over seven million copies worldwide.

2012 - The Quarrymen

According to a new list of the 200 rarest records published in Record Collector magazine, the original acetate of the pre Beatles demo by the Quarrymen of 'That'll Be The Day' was worth £200,000 ($320,630). Several other Beatles records figured in the top 20. Low-numbered copies of The Beatles The White Albumwas said to be worth £7,000 ($11,222 USD), though a copy of a mono White Album #0000005 sold for £19,201 ($30,782 USD) in 2009.

2015 - Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift dominated the American Music Awards, winning three prizes, including album of the year and song of the year. One Direction were named favourite group and artist of the year, for the second year in a row and Ariana Grande was the surprise winner of best female, beating Taylor Swift.

2016 - Joe Esposito

Joe Esposito, a close friend and aide of Elvis Presley died at the age of 78. Esposito was Presley's professional assistant and a member of his inner circle, known as the "Memphis Mafia". He was one of two best men at the star's wedding to Priscilla in 1967 and a pallbearer at his funeral in 1977.

2019 - Guns N’ Roses

Accounts showed that Guns N’ Roses Not In This Lifetime tour had raked in more than half a billion dollars during it's three-year run grossing $584.2 million (£455.1m). The tour, which kicked off in 2016, sold 5,371,891 tickets, making it the third highest-grossing tour, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Born Today In Music

November 23rd

1925 - Johnny Mandel

Grammy and Oscar-winning American composer and arranger Johnny Mandel. His most famous composition is 'Suicide Is Painless' (theme from the movie and TV series M*A*S*H) and Mandel also worked with Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett as well as providing strings arrangement on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album.

1939 - Betty Everett

Betty Everett, soul singer, (1964 US No. 6 single 'The Shoop Shoop Song, It's In His Kiss', 1965 UK No. 29 single 'Getting Mighty Crowded'). She died on 19th August 2001 aged 61.

1949 - Marcia Griffiths

Marcia Griffiths, singer, also called the "Queen of Reggae". With Bob Andy as a duo (Bob and Marcia), she had the 1970 UK hit with 'Young, Gifted and Black'.

1949 - Sandra Stevens

Sandra Stevens, Brotherhood Of Man, (1976 UK No.1 single 'Save Your Kisses For Me').

1949 - Alan Paul

Alan Paul, singer, Manhattan Transfer, (1977 UK No.1 'Chanson D'amour', 1981 US No.7 single 'Boy From New York City').

1954 - Bruce Hornsby

Bruce Hornsby, keyboards, vocals, The Range, (1986 US No.1 & UK No.15 single 'The Way It Is').

1962 - Chris Bostock

Chris Bostock, bassist with British new wave group Jo Boxers, who had the 1983 UK No.3 single 'Boxer Beat'.

1972 - Chris Adler

American drummer Chris Adler who has worked with Lamb of God, Megadeth, Burn the Priest, Testament and Protest The Hero.

1978 - Alison Mosshart

Alison Mosshart, American singer, songwriter with The Kills and blues rock band The Dead Weather with Jack White.

1978 - Tommy Marth

American saxophone player Tommy Marth who worked with The Killers. On April 23, 2012, Marth's body was discovered in his Las Vegas, Nevada home with a gunshot wound to the head. The Clark County Coroner subsequently ruled that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted and the cause of death was suicide.

1983 - Thomas Pridgen

Thomas Pridgen, American drummer with The Mars Volta from 2006 until October 2009. Also worked with The Memorials and the California hardcore band, Trash Talk.

1984 - Lucas Stephen Grabeel

Lucas Stephen Grabeel, American actor and singer High School Musical, as part of the cast had the 2006 US No.1 ‘High School Musical’ album and 2007, US No.1 ‘High School Musical 2’ album. Over 17 million viewers in the United States watched the TV premier of High School Musical; making it the highest rated basic cable broadcast in U.S. history.

1992 - Miley Ray Cyrus

Miley Ray Cyrus, (born Destiny Hope Cyrus), American actress, singer and songwriter. Miley Stewart -Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel series, Hannah Montana. Scored the 2006 US No.1 album ‘Hannah Montana’, and the 2013 US No.1 hit 'Wrecking Ball'.